The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Ecology Committee has highlighted escalating ecological destruction in Turkey, and argued that ongoing regional conflict further exacerbates the environmental toll.
In a newly released statement the committee called for urgent action to defend the environment, accused the Turkish government of using conflict to cover up environmental destruction, and defined the ecological struggle as a moral responsibility.
The ecology committee criticised the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over war policy that contributes to the environmental crisis. “The ecological destruction caused by the war carried out in Kurdistan by the AKP-MHP is getting heavier every day,” they argued.
The statement came as recent protests by both environmental activists and local residents sparked across Turkey in response to a series of environment-related incidents.
A government decision to clear Akbelen forest for coal mining was met with strong resistance in the southwest province of Muğla. Meanwhile, allegations surfaced that Turkish soldiers deliberately started fires on Mount Cudi in the southeastern Kurdish-majority city of Şırnak (Şirnex).
Villagers continue to resist plans for the construction of a housing development on olive groves and agricultural land in Hatay’s Antakya, while a de facto ban continues in the rural Hizan (Xîzan) district of Bitlis (Bedlîs) due to ongoing military operations in the area.
Ecologists argue that these incidents are part of a broader pattern of environmental destruction in the country. They claim the government is prioritising economic interest over the preservation of natural resources, leading to widespread deforestation and environmental degradation.
